Category Archives: Human Rights, Migrant Death

Talking about the project itself

Situational Awareness

Day two group photo

Day two started bright and early with breakfast at our hotel. We then accompanied Deputy Don White to the southern part of the county to conduct a search. Dr. Latham skillfully maneuvered our rental minivan Sandy off-road. There were times when we weren’t completely sure Sandy would make it, but she did! Don was provided the name and age of a missing person and the coordinates where they were last seen, so we parked as close as we could and walked to that location. Many migrants pass through the ranches following the pipelines that run north. These areas are easy to follow in one direction and are typically cleared of brush for safety and access for employees.

We performed line searches at the location of coordinates and searched the surrounding area since there are many reasons why individuals would not be found at the exact coordinate location. We ended up walking several miles searching. We found some evidence of migrant activity, such as a backpack and a couple of water bottles. However, these items did not seem like they had been left there recently. Items such as these can be important because they could indicate the presence of someone who may have passed through recently or could be in distress nearby.

We saw some snakes (to Olivia’s dismay), lizards, and plenty of bugs. It was hotter today than yesterday, with a temperature feel of 102 degrees. Although we had yesterday to adjust a bit, it was still quite draining. We are getting into a good groove as a team, even though it’s been such a short time. As a team, we set goals yesterday for things to improve upon for today and we did really well! We took lots of breaks and made sure we were all drinking a lot of water and staying safe.

Team members taking a break in the brush

Austin, Olivia, Don, Dr. Latham, and Izzy on one of our breaks

Today was enlightening in many ways. There were a few times when we easily got off track from our decided course or got caught up in groupings of mesquite trees, oak trees and scrubbrush. It is an extremely difficult environment to move through and be in for long periods of time. I cannot even fathom traveling for so long, through this terrain, with limited supplies. Throughout the day there were many circumstances where situational awareness was necessary. This pertains to things like snakes and lizards, trucks, Don and his ability to blend into the environment, and the environment itself.

Team members beginning a search

After our search, we went back to the hotel to eat and clean up. Some of us went to the pool to cool off. Afterward, we had our debriefing meeting and headed out to H-E-B for some more supplies. For dinner, we had Laredo Tacos, and it was delicious. Then we relaxed and rehydrated in our room. Olivia made friends with Dusty the stray cat outside the hotel while we did some laundry.

Olivia and Dusty the cat

Olivia and Dusty

Don partially hidden in the brush

Where’s Don?

A team member holding up a flower to the camera

Izzy showing me her flower

Jordan

Dry, Dirty, But Not Dehydrated

It has begun! The long anticipated first day of searching the remote wildlands has finally come. The day started with a cacophony of alarms going off in the hotel room. We frantically scrambled to get all of our gear packed in time to meet Deputy Sheriff Don and Dr. Latham for breakfast where we discussed our plan for the day. I made sure to eat some Activia yogurt (you can ask Izzy, Jordan, and Olivia why). Once we were finished, we squeezed into the minivan where we relished in the last chance to feel cool air conditioning for several hours. The saying is true, you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.

Group photo of team members


When we got to the search location, we started our line search right away. We used the caliche road as the landmark our anchor would walk next to in order to orient ourselves. Because the road we followed led us north, we spread out our team towards the west and continued north to cover as much ground as possible without getting lost. The landscape was different than I had anticipated. The ground was covered in thick grass and weeds which made our search difficult. At first, we all did a really good job staying together as we traveled through the desert, checking under trees and in the thick brush. We managed to find some faint footprints, old water bottles, a distressed lunchbox and backpack, and a pair of pants. The pants were fairly new, however, nothing suggested the items were from recent activity.

Team members on a search


We walked for nearly a mile north before we regrouped and headed back to the car for lunch. Luckily I wasn’t as thirsty as I anticipated. I have my team to thank for this because they suggested that I buy a “camelback” backpack: a bag you wear on your back that contains a pouch than can hold several liters of water. While you are walking, you can simply grab the attached hose for a quick drink. Personally, it makes me feel like a gerbil, but it is truly a life-saver and I recommend it for anyone who works outside in the heat. We kept annoying each other to keep drinking water because, well, we care. Food was much needed, however a comfy seat in the van with a full belly made it difficult to resume our search.

Team members taking a break on a search


The second time around was much more challenging. We searched the other side of the road, however our path led us each astray from one another deeper and deeper into the brush. We checked under trees, avoiding so many thorn-covered branches. I’m not a botanist, but in my opinion there is no need for every tree in Texas to have that many thorns. It’s a bit ridiculous and unnecessary if you ask me.

Team members searching on a ranch


We didn’t get very far before we needed to take another break. The constant ducking under branches and crawling through the shrubs tired us out real quick, not to mention the 98 degree heat. During our rest, I got a chance to sit down and talk to Don about what he does and how his career led him to where he is today. He is a very welcoming and down-to-earth individual. I admire his sense of compassion and dedication to save lives. We are so fortunate to have him with our team this year, and I look forward to working with him within the next week.

Team members taking a break

  
Our last search was conducted a few minutes north at the site of a windmill surrounded by fences to contain livestock. We suspected this would be a good location to find evidence of migrant activity because of the landmark and the water. Dr. Latham was a little nervous about taking the minivan further out on the dirt road where it might lose traction in the sand. We then agreed that if the car made it out successfully she would officially be granted the long awaited name: Sandy. We searched the area and in the surrounding woods but found nothing. We gathered back at the van and Izzy brought back an animal skull for us to see. Thanks to Dr. Nawrocki’s comparative osteology class, I was able to recognize it as some sort of pig skull. Fortunately Sandy got us home in one piece.

A non-human skull


Although our search did not lead us to find anything substantial today, the thought of not discovering anything gives me some hope that the individuals we were searching for are still alive to see another day. Being out there today really gave me some perspective of just how treacherous the journey is. There are so many elements of nature against you out there. I am just glad to know that there are people out there like Don and the rest of our team that can be available to help them when needed. Today was a very humbling experience.

Austin

Day one group photo

Day 1 Complete!

Team members walking along a road on a ranch

“I enjoy long walks by the dirt roads”

Grasshopper

Grasshopper

Don talking to Olivia

Discussion

 

Austin taking a picture

Snap

Dr. Latham

Dr. Latham

Texas brush

Seek to do good but do no harm

Do No Harm is a central ethical value in anthropology and in philanthropy. However, it can be difficult to predict every challenge one may encounter when working as an anthropologist in philanthropic or humanitarian contexts. Anthropologists must continually reevaluate their work to ensure that it does not harm the communities in which they work. While anthropologists, like my team, never intend harm, we must always be mindful of the unintentional consequences of our work. Exploring the topic of “Philanthropic Harm” provides some important points for us to consider as we work in these volunteer humanitarian crisis situations. As I depart for my 13th trip to the Texas Borderlands spanning the past decade, these are some of the questions I ask myself:

Are we diverting resources? We are visiting a mass disaster situation that our colleagues are faced with year-round. Are we disrupting the normal patterns in a way that diverts time, energy and resources to us and away from the main goal of saving lives? Are we truly participating in actions that are best for the community or wasting the time and resources of our community partners with each trip?

Team members performing a line search
Systematic Line Search

Are we reinforcing the status quo? A common critique of humanitarian and philanthropic work is that institutional philanthropy supports causes that serve the elite. Are visiting and volunteer forensic scientists perpetuating dominant power relationships? Are the motivations meant to serve them and their institutions rather than the communities they claim to serve?

Can we even predict the unintended consequences of our actions? There are many reasons why good intentions can go wrong, and the probability of this occurring increases with the increasing complexity of the situation. Knowing the politically charged and sensitive nature of this work, we must always try to predict how our actions potentially have unintended outcomes.  

Team members cleaning water stations
Cleaning barrels for redistribution

Are we being culturally insensitive with our actions? A common critique of humanitarian work is that the volunteers impose their own sense of values on the community instead of being sensitive to the particular situation in which they are working. Am I fully preparing my students to step away from their own preconceived biases and perspectives in order to better serve this community?

These are just a few of the questions I ask myself each time we prepare for a trip to the Texas Borderlands. At what point have we peaked in our contributions? Because after that it is only about us and what we are getting from these experiences. Critically reflecting on our experiences and paying careful attention to our environment and actions allows us to begin to assess some of these questions. At this time, we are eager to begin our trip early tomorrow morning. We will continue to update the blog daily while we are there. Thank you for your support and for following our journey!

~KEL